FOOTBALL; Hobbled and Humbled, Sooners Need Peterson

By PETE THAMEL

Published: October 8, 2005

In the days leading up to Oklahoma's game with Texas last season, the sign on the Texaco station in Adrian Peterson's hometown, Palestine, Tex., read, ''Run A.D. Run.''

A.D. is the nickname that Peterson, Oklahoma's star running back, was given for his ability to run all day.

On Saturday, with unranked Oklahoma (2-2) in the throes of rebuilding and No. 2 Texas (4-0) a favorite to play for the national title, that message will resonate more as a plea than a cheer.

Oklahoma's offensive line is in shambles, its secondary leaky and its swagger dissipating. Peterson's resplendent talent represents perhaps the only chance the Sooners have to extend their five-year winning streak in this series.

''Kind of a different feel this year, isn't it?'' Steve Eudey, a close friend of Peterson's, said in a telephone interview this week from Palestine. ''All of us Oklahoma fans are still in shock from the drop-off.''

That decline began with Oklahoma's blowout loss to Southern California in the national title game in January and continued this fall with September losses to Texas Christian and U.C.L.A.

Despite its recent mastery in this series, Oklahoma brings the inferior unit to Dallas, the traditional neutral site halfway between the universities. To compound Oklahoma's problems, Peterson may be limited by an ankle injury. He missed two days of practice this week.

Even though he will not likely be 100 percent, Peterson still has the kind of punishing running style that can take control of a game. Last season against Texas, as a freshman, he ran for 225 yards on 32 carries.

But since coming in second in the Heisman Trophy balloting last season, a lot has changed for Peterson. He became a father, was forced into a leadership role on the team and found a spot in Coach Bob Stoops's doghouse for missing class.

Oklahoma's struggles this season have not sat well with Peterson. He is a fierce competitor. Eudey remembers him as a child unplugging the Nintendo rather than lose.

On the field, Peterson's production has waned. He is averaging 4.6 yards a carry, down from 5.7. (Because he did not practice Monday and Tuesday, Peterson did not speak to members of the news media this week.)

''He's been a little bit frustrated,'' said Eudey, who was Peterson's legal guardian at times during his childhood. ''But when we talked on Sunday, he didn't want to talk about his injury. He was excited about how the team as a whole was improving.''

That improvement has come about largely because of the maturation of the redshirt freshman quarterback Rhett Bomar, another Texan who, like Peterson, was considered the top recruit at his position and jumped the Red River for Oklahoma.

Bomar won the starting job from Paul Thompson after the loss to T.C.U. Things seemed to click for Bomar in Oklahoma's 43-21 victory last Saturday against Kansas State. He completed 12 of 22 passes, ran for 67 yards and threw his first touchdown pass, showing flashes of the skills that made him the country's most sought-after high school quarterback two years ago.

''I think he will be one of the great quarterbacks to ever play at Oklahoma before he finishes,'' Texas Coach Mack Brown said.

Texas, of course, has a quarterback who is considered among the all-time Longhorns greats. Vince Young has led Texas to exhilarating victories over Michigan in the Rose Bowl and at Ohio State in early September, when the Buckeyes were ranked No. 4. Since the loss to Oklahoma last season, Young has led Texas to 11 straight victories.

Young played poorly in the 12-0 loss last season, connecting on just 8 of 23 passes for 86 yards. He did not complete a pass to a wide receiver until late in the third quarter. Young also took two sacks that knocked Texas out of field-goal range.

The game last season exposed Young's penchant for trying to do too much, his most glaring shortcoming. Still, he should be a much more confident leader in this game.

''I felt I was real uptight,'' Young said of previous losses to Oklahoma. ''That was a time of being young, not taking charge.''

But Young has taken over this season, and the team has been emboldened by his confidence. Young dances around before games, singing in the locker room and keeping his teammates loose. He is aware that the most dangerous opponent the Longhorns face this weekend may not be the Sooners, but their own recent history.

Young has taken charge so that the ghosts of past failures do not reappear on the field.

''Now it's my team,'' he said, ''and I just get to be me.''

This Oklahoma team is still searching for an identity. Its season-opening loss to T.C.U. in Norman remains the most surprising upset of the season. The Sooners struggled to beat Tulsa the next week, then got blown out at U.C.L.A.

Though Oklahoma is vulnerable, recent history will be the Sooners' best ally on Saturday. But to pull off an upset, they will need Peterson to run all day long.